A History of Magic
by The Mad Prince
Summary: Fifteen years he's been gone. The year is 2015, the modern era has become the new normal for Muggles, but for Hogwarts, an ancient and powerful threat arises. Harry is back, and trouble with him. Rated M for possible swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I promise not to include many A/N's throughout this story. If you want to ask me about my others feel free to PM me and we can talk at length about them if you wish. This is just something I wanted to write for fun. I have only this chapter and half the next so expect a sporadic update schedule. That being said, enjoy the story, I enjoy writing it. Sometimes it's all I can think about and if anybody who reads this has ever felt the same way, embrace it, write it down, share it, and improve. The only way is forward.**

 **The pairing is Harry/Daphne as I found her character easier to work with and I quite like her fandom, even if I am going to go against it at times. There will be no bashing of any kind as I find it degrades a great number of stories. Disliking a character is one thing, making them evil is another, but to degrade them and reduce their intelligence purely out of spite is something I can never agree with. Other than that, this is an AU fic, I will break the world as I see fit for this is fanfic and I am God.**

 **Beta requested, whether required... I'll leave that up to you guys.**

 **Rant over. Enjoy the story. Read and Review as always.**

* * *

 _ **A History of Magic**_

 _To the current Headmaster/Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,_

 _My name is Harry James Potter and I am writing to apply for the current open position of History of Magic professor as advertised in the daily prophet. I apologize for the late arrival of my letter due to my being out of the country at the moment. Hopefully by the time this letter arrives to you I should be in England if not Scotland._

 _I have been absent from England for fifteen years and in that time I have experienced many aspects of magic throughout the world. Not only this, but I have also been allowed to visit many prestigious libraries. In these places many of the greatest minds have tutored me in the field of history. A full list of references, signed in blood, is available on request._

 _Disregarding any formality I would like to emphasize my strong desire to teach many future generations of witches and wizards to avoid the mistakes of the past and carve a better future for themselves and others. I choose Hogwarts purely on a longing to return to my former school once more as an older and wiser soul._

 _Regards_

 _Harry James Potter_

 _Head of House Potter and House Black._

Minerva McGonagall stared at the piece of parchment in her hands for what seemed like an eternity. This was not her first time reading it, in fact the letter had arrived days ago, yet she could not believe the words scratched onto it. Harry Potter had returned to England, after fifteen years without a word he had come home, and to teach!

She had finally gotten around to replacing Cuthbert Binns after fifteen years of renovations to the facilities and curriculum of Hogwarts. It was not that she had anything personal against the man, truthfully he was a genius who was very good at what he did, but his lack of personality and limited memory as a ghost made him a poor teacher. Cuthbert didn't seem to mind the news that he was going to be replaced. In fact, he didn't have any reaction at all, preferring to simply nod and float through the nearest wall to whoever knows where.

But she should have known that despite the funding allocated towards finding a History of Magic professor, Binns' history had all but eradicated any interest in the subject throughout England. With only a month left till the beginning of term she would have to take Olympia up on her offer of borrowing one of her seventh years for teaching experience, at least so that she would have more time to find someone qualified.

But then Harry's letter had come through her window just as she was drafting her request. After dropping her tea in shock she had halted her plea for help and immediately began to write to him for his references hoping it was not too good to be true. That had been two weeks ago, and now, with only two weeks until term, he was coming here, to her office.

A knock on her door startled her out of her mental rant. Looking at the clock she knew it could not be the man who was centre focus in her mind and so instead chose to simply say 'come in' curious about what could require her attention.

"Is something the matter Filius?" She asked the half goblin Charms teacher as he poked his head inside before coming into the room completely.

"Not at all Minerva, I was just wondering if you would like me to greet you new applicant for you when he arrives." Professor Flitwick replied standing in front of her desk. McGonagall shook her head.

"No, that won't be necessary. He knows the way already."

Flitwick nodded but remained where he was causing McGonagall to raise a manicured eyebrow.

"It's just," Flitwick answered the unasked question. "Myself and Pomona were wondering why it is you're being so secretive about this man. It's not like you at all Minerva and in fact, if he is to be teaching here in two weeks time, what's the harm in letting us know?"

Minerva nodded as she listed to her diminutive colleague. If it were up to her she would happily tell her trusted friend everything. After all, he himself was just as fond of Harry as she was. Pomona had very little interaction with the boy in his six years at Hogwarts due to him not being in her house and his penchant for skipping Herbology on a semi regular basis, but herself and Filius had known Harry throughout his time as a student, and even before as a baby, they had watched him grow to become a man, a leader and a victor of war. Though they had had nearly a thousand students pass through their halls in their tenure as Professors, Harry Potter would always have a place in their hearts.

And yet, he had asked for her to remain mute on the subject of his arrival, and loathe though she was to do it, she would have to remove Filius from her office soon as Harry was due to arrive shortly. While there was no chance of the two men running into each other in the halls, due to Harry knowing the secret passages more than anyone, there was no way to avoid each other on the stairs to her office. So she settled for the truth.

"As much as I would like to tell you Filius, the applicant has asked to keep his anonymity until his employment is secure. Though having seen his references and knowing of his character as a past student, this interview is merely a formality. The board have no say in this as they gave me carte blanch to appoint any History of Magic professor I see fit." The stodgy old men were happy to let her do all the work while they merely signed the papers and took the credit. Sometimes she wondered how Albus got anything done around here in his time.

The board of directors had taken a laid back approach to the renovation of Hogwarts, part and parcel due to Lucius Malfoy no longer being their head. That, in combination with a Headmaster, or Headmistress, who wasn't preoccupied with being Britain's representative in the ICW and the chief warlock in the Wizengamot, meant that they didn't have to do much work to see that things improved. A viewpoint they quickly got behind and encouraged her to maintain.

And with gusto she did. From dueling clubs run by a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher she no longer had to search yearly for, to academic debates, to elective subjects and clubs for enchanting, alchemy and more. The number of disused classrooms had been shortened by half in the last five years due to number of witch and wizard children hitting an all time high and it didn't look like this year would be the end of that. What was once thirty to fifty students a year was now a hundred. The age old enchantments in the castle meant that the dorm rooms had expanded to accommodate the new load. Prefect positions were now a critical function of the school and the head boy and head girl position had become a true honor. Minerva couldn't be happier. It was all she had dreamed about when she first started as a professor.

Snapping herself out her thoughts once more, Minerva couldn't help but wonder when she had become so nostalgic. "I would love to tell you Filius, but I'm honor bound not to."

"And I am very grateful for your help Headmistress but you can rest easy knowing it will not be necessary any longer." A voice sounded from behind Flitwick just as the smaller man opened his mouth to reply. The air behind the man rippled as he turned around to see Harry Potter standing with a smile on his face.

Filius Flitwick would later recount the tale to friends, students, and, in old age, any who would listen, about how he drew his wand faster than he ever had before and fired a stunner at the man who had saved the world. He would tell those who listened about how he didn't regret what he did; instead he regretted who he had fired the spell at. Of course, this would only happen after he realized who was in front of him.

The red bolt of magic, intended to render a person unconscious for a period of time dependant on the difference between the power of the caster and the innate resistance of the recipient, sailed towards Harry at a speed that an ordinary person would not be able to witness, but the three magic casters in the room had seen feats far beyond ordinary men and were themselves, extraordinary in many ways. And so they saw as the bolt seemingly splashed against a golden film that seemed to cover Harry's entire body before fading from existence. The film, which both could identify as a shield, rippled across Harry's body before settling and disappearing.

"Now professor" Harry said, snapping his fingers summoning the man's wand to his hand. "I understand the reaction, but you will only be getting this back once you've accepted to reality of the situation before you."

"How did you get in here?" McGonagall asked, taking advantage of the stunned silence of her colleague and Harry's patience for the man to calm down.

"Through the door. I was behind our dear Charms professor here." Harry answered waving the Professor's wand and conjuring a chair for him to sit down in. "I was simply waiting for him to conduct his business but I wasn't so keen on creating strife between you two so I revealed myself."

"You mean to tell me you walked into the most secure castle in Britain and one of the most secure rooms in the world, through the front door." McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow. "Forgive me Mr. Potter but I find that hard to believe given the wards surrounding this office door alone."

"They were there." Harry nodded. "Felt them. But I have means of avoiding detection. And your sensory wards only detect identity, based on a long memory of previous visitors and a connection to the Hogwarts registry, and intent. I only needed to avoid the first. The second would render the defensive wards inert."

Minerva shook her head. Harry Potter had re-entered Hogwarts exactly as he had left.

"Harry Potter." Flitwick whispered finally coming to his senses. "Harry!" He snapped completely out of his reverie. "You're back. Goodness gracious my boy where have you been?"

Completely forgetting about his wand. Flitwick grabbed the chair in front of McGonagall's desk and brought it so that he could see both occupants of the room.

"I was travelling." Harry explained slowly. "It was both the most difficult, and the easiest decision I'd ever made. The night of Ron and Hermione's wedding I stared at them as they smiled and danced and I came to a realization that they had each other. Ginny didn't want anything to do with me after things fell apart and though people would miss me. The people who truly needed me no longer did. So I left. At first to Rome, then to Paris, then to Spain anywhere I wanted to go I went and when I couldn't think of where to go next, I threw a dart at a map and went there."

"But for fifteen years? And without a word?" McGonagall asked incredulously. "What could possibly cause you to go off grid like that?"

"Because at twenty years old I knew nothing of the world, nothing of life outside of war, and nothing about what I could be as a wizard. And it was never my intention to stop communication with the world." A haunted look overcame Harry's face for a brief moment. "There was a complication; I couldn't risk people's safety by involving them even slightly. Fortunately, that problem is now gone and having seen the world and learned much more than I ever intended, I came back."

"To teach?" McGonagall asked.

"To teach." Harry affirmed. "In my fifth year I had a taste of it and I find that to this day it is still something that fills me with a great sense of joy. Had I not been a soldier in war, I most certainly would have been a teacher."

"But why the secrecy?" Flitwick asked "And my wand if you please." He added with a hint of warning.

"Of course Professor," Harry sheepishly handed the man his wand back before answering. "The secrecy was for one reason and one reason only. I have been gone longer than I have even known my longest friends. For fifteen years they have gotten used to life without me and I hope that it didn't take them long to realize I may not come back. It would be cruel of me to just drop into their lives as if nothing had ever happened. Cruel to assume that I was still their friend."

Though McGonagall could easily tell him of how every year Ron and Hermione Weasely took time from their anniversary to remember their lost friend, or how Hagrid went to the Centaurs every so often simply to ask how he was. She instead chose to let him simply see for himself when the others found out he had returned. Instead she chose to get down to business, knowing that in the year they would have together, they could catch up.

Taking Harry's contract from her desk she placed it on top for him to read. "This is the standard first year contract for a Hogwarts professor. It basically states that your salary is ten thousand Galleons a year and will be paid in installments to whichever Gringotts account you provide…" She trailed off for a moment.

"Don't worry; the Goblins are more than happy to do business with me now." Harry addressed the issue of his previous break in.

"Right. Regardless the rest of the contract dictates the rules and regulations of being a professor. You are entitled to 20 days a year of sick and or personal leave. Professor and Student relations are forbidden regardless of the age of consent, and you are required to attend the monthly staff meetings. There is also a booklet included detailing the conduct required in common situations but of course you are always welcome in my office should you need assistance."

"And mine" Flitwick added even as Harry snapped his fingers once more, summoning the contract off the desk to him.

There was silence in the room as Harry observed his contract. A silence which lasted for nearly five minutes before McGonagall spoke. "You will have to have a lesson plan for at least the first semester before the start of term. While this is the contractual deadline, I would like to review your plan so please allocate time for review and changes as well."

Nodding as she spoke Harry snapped his fingers also taking the ink dipped quill from her desk and using it to sign the contract. As soon as his sloppy signature was finished the contract flashed before rolling up and duplicating itself. A copy, presumably the original, vanished to who knows where while the remaining copy was left on his lap.

"The History of Magic Classroom remains on the first floor to this day however Cuthbert's old office is found on the fourth floor. You may feel free to decorate both of them to your liking however I must insist that the classroom be tasteful and anything that students shouldn't see be kept to the personal areas of your office. Beyond that, welcome back to Hogwarts Professor Potter."

"Thank you Professor McGonagall." Harry stood and bowed, the chair he was sitting on vanishing as he did so. "If it's not too much of a bother I'd like to begin. The sooner I get my office into shape the sooner I can get some rest after all I have only been home for a few days and am quite tired."

"Of course." McGonagall relented. "I shall be here until the beginning of term." She added as he moved to the door. "And Harry…" She called just as he was about to close it.

"Yes Professor?" Harry asked, poking his head back into the room.

"Welcome back." She smiled.

"Thank you Professor." Harry nodded before leaving the room.

"Well so much for a quiet year." Flitwick remarked as they heard the stairs begin to descend indicating Harry was too far away to hear.

"Whatever do you mean Filius?" McGonagall asked her colleague with narrowed eyes.

"Tell me Minerva, have you ever known Harry Potter to have a quiet year at Hogwarts?"

"No." McGonagall remarked, smiling once more. "No I have not."

"You have no idea." Harry muttered to himself as he finally began to descend the stairs from the headmistress' office. Admittedly, he shouldn't have been able to hear that conversation. Solid oak doors and a sizeable distance do make effective sound barriers after all. But he had long since come to terms with his capabilities. The air around him shimmered before he disappeared entirely once more.

The journey from the headmistress' office to his new office on the fourth floor took no time at all. As he journeyed from the office to the grand staircase and from there to his office he found not a single soul making his invisibility useless. But nonetheless he remained so until he walked through the door to his office.

The offices of the professors were the few rooms that Harry had never visited in his six years at Hogwarts. So he didn't really know if he was surprised that he found a glorified study with a door that he could only assume led to his bedroom. The room was barren, most likely the result of occupying a dead man for so many years. But Harry could see the potential.

"Nippy" He called out to the vast emptiness of the room.

He turned to the sound of a pop behind him to find his young house elf bowing low to the ground. "Hello Master Harry, how can Nippy be of service?"

Harry smiled and knelt before his faithful assistant, for that was what she was to him, he refused to call her a servant much like he refused to call Kreacher in his last years of life. "Nippy, would you be as kind as to bring my trunk from Grimmauld Place, the black one please?" He asked kindly.

Nippy nodded before disappearing, quickly reappearing with the trunk Harry requested. A black trunk with seven locks, much like the one he had seen in his fourth year. "Here you are Master Harry." Nippy bowed once more. "Would you like anything else?"

"No thank you Nippy. If you wouldn't mind, I would like if you could clean Grimmauld Place as best you can. However," He added his voice turning stern for the first time, "If you encounter anything dangerous, come to me before anything else."

"Yes sir." Nippy nodded happily before vanishing once more.

Harry sighed. He knew his friends would hound him as soon as they heard he was back. Fortunately, he had until the start of term before that would happen. While McGonagall would probably share the news with the rest of the staff, neither she nor the others would like the attention of the media this close to the start of term. Fortunately, there was a mandate preventing press from Hogwarts grounds except during events such as Quidditch finals and Tri-Wizard tournaments. Though he doubted the latter would ever be held again given what happened during an attempted revival. He did hear of a ball or two happening over the last fifteen years though so perhaps at Yule.

So much to do so little time. Lesson plans, renovating his office and his classroom. And let's not forget fortify the ancient wards to keep out what was coming. Like he said, so much for a quiet year.


	2. Chapter 2

Time passed slowly for Harry. It didn't take long for him to get his affairs in order. He had prepared his lesson plans for the first semester long before he had even been accepted for the position so in the first two weeks he had secluded himself in his office and finished his second semester plans. But that meant there were two weeks till the start of term, and while Harry knew he would eventually have to leave his new office and meet his coworkers, he was not exactly in a hurry to do so after fifteen years in self imposed exile.

Standing from his desk, Harry looked around his office, inspecting it for what seemed to be the hundredth time. When he had first come to the room he had seen potential and if he was honest with himself he had used it to his advantage. When one entered through the door they would find a small room, easily able to fit the large desk that took up most of the width of the room. In all his years Harry preferred having a larger desk as he had a tendency to throw things around it, behind the desk was a bookshelf containing his journals pertaining to magical history, his grimoire and research books were kept safely in the bedroom behind the door in the far right corner of the room.

The stone flooring had been charmed to resemble and feel like dark oak flooring had replaced it. Harry knew he could have actually replaced it or indeed lain wood over the stone. But stones inherent ability to retain enchantments meant that the charms were unlikely to fail and other enchantments and runes could be added. He debated adding one for heating, but the time required to carve the runes as well as ensure the heat dispersed along the entire floor and stayed regulated, meant that he would put it off until the winter truly kicked in. He didn't need to worry about powering enchantments in Hogwarts. Once the initial charge had been set, the castle would maintain the flow of energy.

He had added a window. While there was one in his bedroom, Harry had decided to add one to the main office himself. Rather than charming a false window like those in underground buildings he had carved a shape into the wall before vanishing the filling. Conjuring a wooden frame and glass to fill the gap had been easy, sealing it to be air and water tight around only the frame and edges, less so.

Two weeks gone and two weeks to go. Harry left his office, invisible once more, walking down to the first floor to find that his classroom was still sealed. The enchantments he had placed on the room couldn't be disturbed and so he had sealed the room until the level of magic in the room settled. It's not that it was unsafe to enter, unless one considered an angry Harry Potter hazardous to their health, he just really didn't want to spend another week redoing the enchantments followed by another week to allow them to stabilize.

So instead he went to one of the three other places he felt comfortable going, the grave of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

"You really should have got yourself a nickname." Harry softly told the stone casket that held his old Headmaster's body. "I was only thinking your names and it took me most of the journey here." He was exaggerating of course. It had only taken him five seconds and even then he had been distracted while doing it by Professor Sinistra who, even after a war and fifteen years, still looked gorgeous.

He couldn't help but reminisce about the last time he stood here, fifteen years ago, just before he left. Tempted to summon the resurrection stone from the forest where only he knew it was. Ron and Hermione had never been told about that particular part of the journey. Not because he didn't trust them with the knowledge, but because they were already burdened with the knowledge of two of the deathly hallows, all three of which now resided at Hogwarts. He had been so tempted to summon the stone and beg for forgiveness for ever doubting his mentor and for help as to his previous predicament. But he didn't. He now knew the true flaws of the resurrection stone and he suspected Dumbledore did as well hence why he never used it even after he had rid it of it's curses.

The stone only worked for so long. It could be used to summon the true loved ones of the wielder, hence why only Remus, Sirius and his parents had come that night. You can't just summon anybody. At first their presence would be fine. They would feel no pain or discomfort and the wielder would feel elated to see their loved ones again. But the dead do not belong in this world and over time they would begin to feel the strain and pain of being here. The user would be forced to send them back after a time and would not be able to summon them again without causing them great discomfort.

Cadmus' downfall, Harry had called it. He had missed his wife so much, that when he finally saw her again, only to lose her once more, he had taken his own life. The pain of losing someone once can sometimes be unbearable, to do it twice…. Harry didn't want to think about it.

Harry, at the time, had been disillusioned with Dumbledore. Partly because of the words of others and partly because of him feeling abandoned throughout the horcrux hunt. Only after his trip to limbo did he finally achieve piece with his old Headmaster and Harry knew, if he were to use the stone again, Dumbledore would show.

"You know." A voice sounded from behind Harry. "It's all well and good to be invisible, but if you're going to stand out in the open you might want to talk a little quieter, or at least put up a silencing ward if you have to breath so heavy."

Harry knew he did neither of those things. He had all but whispered the two sentences he had since his arrival and he was definitely not breathing heavily as he had no reason to do so. But he allowed the intruder their lie as he knew that some secrets were more useful if they stayed just that.

Turning, Harry observed his newfound company for a brief moment before doing as she said and casting a silencing charm on himself and taking three steps to the left, just enough to be out of her peripheral vision, so that when her eyes twitched ever so slightly to follow him. Harry knew she could see him.

Impressive, Harry couldn't help but think as he dropped his silencing charm and chuckled.

"Aren't you going to show yourself?" The newcomer asked turning towards 'the sound of his voice' no doubt. In response, Harry dropped his invisibility and stood plain for the eye to see. "Potter" She breathed once the shock of who she was seeing wore off.

Harry knew her last name. He had seen her once before fifteen years ago. Her sister had just become engaged to Draco Malfoy who, due to his very public trial, had become a social pariah. The article had been in the newspaper.

"Miss Greengrass" He addressed. "Or should I say Professor?" He asked seeing the Hogwarts crest on her robes.

"You do know you're trespassing right?" She asked. "Hogwarts is closed to the general public unless one has a meeting with the headmistress or a professor." Crossing her arms across her chest she glared at him. "But you're not trespassing are you?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "How did you see me?" He asked in turn.

"How did you know my name?"

"Why wouldn't I know your name?"

Greengrass's nostrils flared ever so slightly and her eyes narrowed. "Because in six years at Hogwarts you never asked my name, you were never a partner on any assignments, and we never as much as locked eyes in the hallways."

Harry said nothing for almost a minute. His eyes expression became blank and his eyes appeared to lose focus. When he finally snapped back to reality his green eyes locked onto her blue. "You're right." He agreed. "Schoolgirl crush on a celebrity?"

"You wish." She snorted.

"You have an eidetic memory too." He accused her, hoping his own admission of having one might get her to confirm it.

It wasn't that an eidetic memory was impossible. Wizards had access to mind magic's in the form of legillemency, memory charms, occlumency and, if one considered it to be mind magic, the imperius curse. Perfect recall was simply the next step in the line of achievement and about fifteen hundred years ago, a man had done it with the aid of his wife. The end result was a scarcely documented ritual where the person in question would have to spend a year in a meditative ritual, their mind constantly occluded, they could not move, they could not create any new memories as the mind processed life so far. Down to the second, as the earth revolved around the sun, the mind experiences what many call the flash, instantly their mind is flooded with every memory they have ever had and afterwards, they have perfect recall for the rest of their life. Finding the document detailing the ritual was difficult, Harry had found it in the library of Alexandria in his time studying magic, but performing the actual ritual required patience, time and skill that most people simply didn't have.

"We're not talking about me Potter." She hissed. "Why don't we talk about how you've been missing for fifteen years and now you show up standing at Dumbledore's grave?"

"I'll tell you." Harry answered with confidence he truly didn't feel. "Over a drink."

Of all the things he expected to happen, her drawing her wand wasn't one of them.

"You have some nerve." She hissed.

Harry was saved from the prospect of a graveside duel. Unfortunately for him, it came at a cost. Though he would later wonder if that cost was his secret, or his ribs.

"Harry!" Hagrid shouted as he approached, not bothering to address the woman in front of him, Hagrid instead swept past her with surprising grace for a man of his size before picking Harry up and proceeding to give him every hug he had missed in fifteen years at once. "Where've yeh bin lad?" He asked still not letting him go. "Fifteen years, fifteen years of nothin', not one letter gallopin' gorgons you're back I can' believe it."

"Hagrid." Harry genuinely wheezed. He was no longer twenty years old and scrawny, but there was no physical condition in the world that could prepare him for a hug from a half giant. He looked to the only female in the group.

"I think I'm going to head back to the castle, goodbye Hagrid, Potter." She walked away with a sway to her hips that she knew Harry could see from over Hagrid's shoulder. It genuinely confused him considering she looked ready to kill him a moment ago. He was tempted to ask Hagrid about her, but instead he greeted his oldest friend in the wizarding world with a smile and a bone breaking hug which, to Hagrid, probably felt like a lover's embrace.

"I'm back Hagrid." He appeased the larger man as he was set down. "I'm back and I'm staying." Patting the larger man on the shoulder, he looked around to make sure they were alone before dropping a privacy charm around them. "How have you been?"

"Me?" Hagrid shouted making Harry very glad for silencing charms. "Me? I've been here for fifteen years teachin' and minding my own business. Ye ran lad." He finished. "Where did ye go?"

"Everywhere Hagrid." Harry replied quietly. "I just had to get away. It was never my intention to lose contact. But the longer it went on the harder it became to justify."

Hagrid shook his head before patting Harry on the shoulder three times. With each one Harry genuinely felt himself sink a little lower into the ground. If he ever decided to dabble in ritual enhancements, Harry knew where he'd start.

"Harry, I don't think there's a person who knows ye that wouldn't forgive ye for doing what ye did. Ye survived. Nobody said ye had it easy." Through his beard, Harry could see a smile on the half giant's face. "I asked the Centaurs about you every time I saw them. I knew ye were alive."

"Alive." Harry interrupted. His eyes being drawn to the trees shaking in the fall wind. They narrowed. "And living too, for a while." He licked his lips and waited for a minute. "Hagrid, why don't you go make us some tea? I'll meet you in a minute."

"Ye sure Harry?" The bearded man asked seeing his eyes looking in the distance.

"I promise." Harry assured distractedly. He was already moving towards the forest. "I'll just be a moment." He muttered.

He walked away from Hagrid casually but internally his mind was racing. He knew now more than ever that he needed to find the ward stone and quickly. He was running out of time. He entered a clearing in the trees, the breeze from earlier had stopped. Or at least it had where he was standing.

"Come out Adrian." He called to the trees surrounding the clearing. "You know you can't hide from me." Turning to face the direction he knew the now named Adrian would come from. He waited.

"Hiding from you wasn't my intention." Adrian called back as he too entered the clearing.

Standing before Harry was a young man. In his late twenties by the look of him he stood tall, straight, and composed even in one of the most dangerous woodlands of the British Isles. With grey hair despite his young age and blue eyes that seemed to glint in the sunlight, this man was attractive without a doubt. His lips turned to a smile as he gazed at Harry at first, before the settled to become serious.

"I wasn't sent here before you ask." He started. "I came here on my own. This time."

"You're saying she's started her plans." Harry deduced. "I can assume her base is under fidelius?" His hypothetical question was met with a nod.

"She won't let any of us know where it is. She's afraid of one of us being caught and revealing it. She seems to think you'll be able to break the secret. We are told to travel to her, not the location, it's the only way to get in." Adrian explained. Harry nodded; they were all accustomed to her magical signature. It could be felt even beyond a fidelius. He could feel it himself. "But I can take you to her." He added, almost desperately. "Come home." He pleaded. "Don't make this a fight."

Harry shook his head in remorse. "If I don't fight, it will be a bloodbath. This school will not fall without a final stand and let me tell you," He paused, listening to the dead silence, not even the wind disturbed them. "She is not afraid. Not of anybody. In her eyes there is nothing stopping her from completing her mission. I don't need you to take me to her. I can sense her. I always can. But I won't take part in her plan. I can't stop her from unleashing your brothers and sisters. I also can't stop her without collateral damage. But these people need me to defend them. She has twenty of you, possibly more since I've left. I'm the only one who can protect this school."

"And how can you protect them?" Adrian asked. "I saw your notes before you left. The ancient wards may keep her out and limit us but they will limit you as well. You may be able to take us individually but together we are stronger than any army."

Harry smiled. "What have I told you all these years? I know you more than you know yourself. If need be," He hesitated to find the right words. "I will stop you."

"You would kill us" Adrian shouted furiously. "For them?"

"No" Harry whispered, but the dead silence of the clearing ensured that it carried nonetheless. "I would protect them, from anything." His eyes watered as he knew what he had to do. "I don't blame you Adrian, and you can fight me if you feel the need. But I will always do what is right over what is easy. Even if it means I have to suffer."

"So will I." Adrian muttered as leaves began to swirl around him. His body fading away as the wind picked up before nothing was left and Harry was alone.

A single tear fell from Harry's left eye but he did not wipe it away, instead choosing to wallow in the guilt of his admission. When the wind began to blow in his face once more Harry knew he was truly alone in the clearing and so, he moved towards Hagrid's, his feet feeling like they weighed a ton with every step. As he neared the hut he stretched out his senses to feel the wards of the school. He had been analyzing them since he had returned to England, even more closely since he returned to the school.

The wards had been regenerating since Voldemort had broken through them sixteen years ago. Though they were powerful enough to maintain their standard effects, Anti Apparating, intention protection, creature barriers and the general maintenance of the school, the siege wards were a disaster waiting to happen. This wouldn't have been the case had the defenders of Hogwarts used them correctly. In fact, had they been used correctly, Voldemort wouldn't have been able to set foot in Hogwarts for quite some time. But the knowledge of how to use them had been lost for centuries.

How did Harry know this? History of Magic truly had it's uses. In his studies he had found out about the siege wards. Why did he care? He would need them soon enough. He could recharge them and program them if only he knew where the ward stone could be found. Ironic, he knew.

He found the door to Hagrid's open as he approached. So walking straight inside he found the half giant busying himself making tea. Fang, looking weaker than he had ever seen him, was lying on the floor beside him. Fifteen years ago Fang would have bounded across the hut in an attempt to lick his face. Today though he merely lifted his head, and barked in what Harry could only assume was an attempt at hello, his tail began to wag slowly.

"Fang's been getting a bit old these days Harry" Hagrid explained. "He only leaves the hut when I'm tending the grounds. Even then he just walks beside me."

"Hagrid." Harry admonished lightly. "I can sense his age." Sitting in the chair he often frequented nearly two decades ago he continued. "If he was actually a bloodhound he'd be long gone by now."

"I suppose the same could be said for me." Hagrid chuckled. "I'm not a young man anymore." He handed Harry a cup of tea three times the size of a normal one.

"Its hard to imagine Hogwarts without you, my friend."

"She's been around for a thousand years without me. She'll stand for a thousand more when I'm gone."

"I'll drink to that." Harry raised his mug. "To Hogwarts, our home."

Hagrid returned the gesture before taking a long drink of his tea.

The two sat in silence. Harry was grateful for the chance to gather his thoughts. But knew Hagrid wanted to know his story. So he took a deep breath and a long sip from his mug, and spoke. "I went to Rome first." He explained gently. "At first it was just to see the sights. The coliseum, the trevi fountain. Anything and everything that people said I should do? I did. Then I moved on to Egypt, joined a curse breaking expedition. Hadn't a clue what I was doing. But I was Harry Potter, nobody cared." He shook his head slightly. His eyes began to lose focus but his mouth kept moving. "That's when I decided to learn. I had six years of Hogwarts education, and even that was half assed at best. So I learned."

"What did yeh learn lad?"

Harry smiled at Hagrid's interest. "I visited the oldest libraries in the world. Not just the wizarding ones. But the muggle ones too. I learned spells lost to time. Rituals that people dared not to speak. And I used as much of my new knowledge as I could. I trained my body, my mind, and my magic nonstop for four years. But then I met a little girl." He sighed. "Her name was Alison. And I couldn't save her."

Hagrid put a large hand on Harry's shoulder. But took it away not long after as he noticed the hut was beginning to shake. "Harry!" There was no heat in his words. But they were enough to snap Harry out of it. His eyes locked on to Hargid's and the hut stopped shaking.

"Sorry." He said simply. Taking a sip from his tea, he continued. "I spent the majority of the time after that in Greece. Training, meditating, learning. I was taught by masters and wise men until I became one myself. And now I'm back to teach." Harry saw the look in the half giant's eyes as he glossed over a clearly traumatic tale. "I would tell you the details Hagrid, but it's a story I'd like to tell only once. So let's wait till Ron and Hermione inevitably storm the castle looking for answers and then I'll tell everything."

Hagrid blinked at the response.

Harry chuckled. "I'm not the same little boy who glosses over painful stories. I will tell everyone everything soon enough."

"So why did yeh come back lad?" Hagrid asked the green eyed man in front of him. Taking a sip from his tea, he elaborated. "Yeh left for fifteen years. People who vanish for that long don't come back without a reason."

"I suppose you're right." Harry mused with a sip of tea afterwards. "You would know more than most. You've had nearly a century in this school watching students come and go."

"None like ye though." Hagrid praised softly.

"With good reason" Harry muttered bitterly. "I came back because it was the right thing to do Hagrid. As Dumbledore would say, the time to choose between that and what's easy, was a few months ago. I had the ability, and the responsibility to do the right thing."

"Yeh don't just mean teachin do yeh lad?" Hagrid asked rhetorically.

Just because he was expelled and had a soft spot for creatures that any ordinary man would fear, didn't make him unintelligent. He knew it would take a lot more than the opportunity to teach for Harry to come back. War had destroyed the man. It had taken his childhood, his school life, and left very little in its wake when it was finally over. It would take a lot more than fifteen years for Harry to come back after something like that.

Harry just sipped his tea without answering. His emerald eyes seemed to glow as the sunlight faded from the hut windows.


End file.
